Steamy Tuesday | How to Brew a perfect Cup

You Tea lovers will start to appreciate Tuesday more than ever before. It is now not known  for the day after Monday and the day before Hump-Day Wednesday.... Its now know for Steamy Tuesday. 


Information about Tea that will either teach you something new, floor you, frustrate you, or in todays case, help you brew the perfect cup. Enjoy Tuesday's here at LahTeaDah!




Water:
Choose the best water available. Never use warm or hot water from the Tap to speed up the boiling process your only setting yourself up for failure. You can wait an extra 60 seconds for better Tea can't you? And always, always....ALWAYS have the Tea Bag IN the cup prior to pouring, never put in the bag in after the cup has been filled with Water. 


Leaves:
Use the best Tea available. Grocery stores generally only carry tea bags filled with low quality Tea Leaves.  Although they might seem like a bargain,  these "name brands" are not worthy of being considered Tea. With this day an age it so easy to buy online {including affordable}, if you don't have a Tea Shop locally then order online.
{a few of my favorite online retailers are: Boston Tea Company, Teatulia, Art of Tea and DAVIDsTEA}


How Much:
Based on an 8oz Cup a rule is normally 1 to 2 teaspoons. In my case I like a deep, dark, bold Tea and Ill almost always use closer to 3 teaspoons.... shhht don't tell the Tea Gods, they will be very very upset with me.  


Water Temperature:
Regardless of how you boil your water, is must come to a rolling boil {212 degrees}. Once it has come to a boil it must sit for a minute or two to cool before pouring ontop of your Tea Leaves. 

Green Tea | 180 degrees 

Oolong Tea | 190 degrees

Black Tea | 200 degrees

Water thats too hot can burn the leaves which in turn will leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth also over steeping a Tea can also do this. 


Steeping Time:
Your Tea Leaves should be given time to sit-still during this steeping process. Extra motion can cause the release of more tannins, which in turn lead to a bitter tasting Tea.  Do not steep Tea for to long, start with 2-3 minutes and gradually increase the time to your preferred likeness. If your like me - Ill leave a Black Tea in for 5 minutes... but I have a very acquired taste for a Malty, Strong and Bold Black Tea. 


Accompaniments:
You ask me I say Cream, Sugar {White, Brown or Amber Crystals} or Honey are all great flavoring of Tea's however not everyone will agree with me on this.
The Brits would have my head to hear that I put Cream in my Black Tea they are all and only for low-fat milks, not because they watch there waist -lines but because they find Cream can leave a murky taste in ones mouth {me, not so much}. They would also dis-agree very much with my other options of Sweetening besides a white sugar. They would ignore the request of a Brown or Amber Sugar and they would laugh me right out of the Tea Shop if I asked for Honey. 


Personal Tips:
* My Mama always taught me to warm up my cup first. So while boiling your water either run hot water into your cup or else put the cup filled with cold water into your microwave and run for 2 minutes. This will just keep your Tea Warmer for longer.
* My bestfriend Katy, taught me to put Cream/Milk and Sugar in first, as this is what her grandma used to do - however I find that I can sometimes add too much milk this way when I am brewing a new Tea.  As I am not sure how bold it will get. 
* Never rush a cup of Tea. Tea is meant to be sipped not gulped, to me its almost like a sin to brew a perfect cup and complete it in 2 gulps. Savor it, enjoy it and be in the moment with it. Keep Calm and Sip on!